A Cut Above the Rest
by kryscrossed
Summary: Jack's in deep, and doesn't know how to get out, but he seems quite willing to drag everybody else down with him.
1. Chapter 1

I wiped my hand across my eyes, doing my best to keep them open. It was late. How late, I wasn't sure, but definitely late. Mama was going to kill me when I finally got home, and I could only be grateful that I'd had the foresight to send Les home early. My steps quickened, as the lodging house came into view. Jack was sitting on the steps, and he stood when he saw me approaching.

"So, did ya get it?"

My lips curled up in a wry smile, "Yeah, I got it."

Jack nodded, and I could've sworn I saw a look of nervousness flash in his eyes, but it was gone before I had a chance to be sure.

"Thanks, Davey. Really." He looked slightly uncomfortable to show his gratitude, so I shrugged it off.

"Don't worry about it. Here," I handed him the envelope I had been clutching in my grasp, reluctant to let it go. "I've gotta go. My family will be waiting for me."

Jack nodded, tucking the envelope into his pocket, he looked distracted, but that had become a usual countenance for him. He moved to the door, his hand turning the knob before I spoke again.

"Hey, Jack…" He glanced back at me, waiting for me to finish my sentence, "Be careful, will you?"

Jack smirked at me, his old confidence shining through for a moment, "I'm always careful, Davey. That's why I'm still alive. Don't be getting all mushy on me, now, eh? Your sister takes care of that enough."

With those words he was gone, disappearing into the lodging house. I sighed, heading back towards my apartment.

I had been right. My mother was sitting up, and she was on her feet the second I opened the door.

"David! Where have you been?! It's almost midnight!" Mama exclaimed, her voice an exaggerated whisper.

"I'm sorry. I had something to take care of," I replied, leaning down to kiss her cheek, "It won't happen again."

Whether she was merely relieved that I was home alive, and not knifed to death in a back alley, or simply too tired to press the subject further, but she left it at that. I was mildly surprised, but really too tired myself to question it either.

"Goodnight, Mama," I left her, moving into the room I shared with my siblings, quietly preparing myself for bed, before I slipped beneath the covers. As tired as I was, I couldn't fall asleep, my mind running constantly, tumbling thoughts and ideas incessantly, until I thought I would go insane. I turned onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. _What have I gotten myself into?_

Sleep finally did come, and the next morning, I was up at six, just like every other day. Sarah was up as well, her basket of lace sitting on the table, as she sorted through it.

"Good morning, David." She smiled, chipper as she always was in the morning. She glanced up at me, her smile falling off her face, "David, you look awful! Didn't you sleep last night? What time did you get in, anyways; I must have slept right through it."

I suppressed the urge to glare at her, knowing it was just the lack of sleep that was making me grumpy. "I slept a little," I answered her.

"Do you want some breakfast?"

I shook my head, turning down her offer of food, "Nah, I'm just gonna head out. Gonna sell some of the morning edition before school."

She opened her mouth to protest, but I was out the door before she had the chance to voice her opinions. I just wasn't in the mood for her 'I'm smarter than you' crap this morning.

I arrived at the distribution office, just as most of the boys from the lodging house were showing up. I smiled as they greeted me, stepping behind Racetrack and Kid Blink in line. "Mornin' fellas."

"Heya Davey," Blink said, grinning back at me.

_What is it with everybody being so freaking cheerful this morning?_

"Whoa, what happened to you? You look like death."

_Well, at least Racetrack still seems like himself._ "Yeah, thanks Race. Just didn't get much sleep last night, that's all."

"Must be somethin' in the air. Jack stayed up on the roof last night. All night. Went through a whole pack of cigarettes," Kid Blink cut in.

"I know, it was my pack of cigarettes," Racetrack replied bitterly.

I couldn't help but smile at that, "I guess everybody's got a lot on their mind." I commented, not really wanting to get to deep into this particular conversation.

We grew quiet, as we all bought our papers, and I offered them a small wave as I hitched mine onto my shoulder. I didn't want to give them the opportunity to continue the talk. Walking away from the desk, I glanced up as Jack fell into step beside me. Kid had been right, his eyes were bloodshot, and there were dark circles lining the bottoms of them.

"You not sellin' today?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at the lack of papers in his hands.

He shook his head, "Not today, Dave. I've got other things to do." He stuffed his hands in his pockets, and I remained silent, knowing he would talk when he was ready.

"Hey, listen, why don't you meet me at Tibby's for lunch. We need to talk."

"Jack, I can't, I have class," I said, slightly exasperated. I swear, Jack walked around believing the entire world revolved around him.

"So skip." He said, rolling his eyes, "This is important, Dave, and I'm sure your attendance record won't be ruined if you skip one afternoon."

"Why can't you just talk to me about it now?" I asked, irritation apparent in my voice.

Now it was Jack's turn to look exasperated, "I just can't, ok? I'll be there at noon." With that, he left me, turning down a side street, and disappearing from my sight.

I sighed, gritting my teeth. I knew I'd be going to Tibby's at noon. If not for me wanting to do good, than for my sense of curiosity. But he was going to be telling me everything this time. I'd done as he asked, and gotten him that envelope last night. But that was my last step of blind faith. I didn't even know what was in the envelope; Jack had made me promise not to look. All I knew was that he was in some sort of trouble.

I glanced down at the papers in my hand, suddenly weary. I sighed lifting the paper to scan the headlines, my eyes falling across the first headline. "Millionaire Robbed at Knifepoint, Suspect on the Loose."

_Well, at least there's a good headline._


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey look, an author's note! I know some of you are rolling your eyes at me right now, and some of you are probably having "headdesk" moments (again) that I'm updating this, and not Real Love. Sorry bout that, but this has been stuck in my head all day, and I wasn't going to get anywhere on Real Love, or House of Cards until I got it out. Anyways, thanks so much to my awesome reviewers, (who, I think at this point are only Morning Glory and Stress) you totally make my day. To everyone else, enjoy! And I love reviews, they make me smile. Wouldn't you like to make somebody smile today?_

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My knee was bouncing nervously under the desk, a fact that I didn't realize until Elise Vandeers turned in her seat, sending me an irritated look.

"Do you mind? You're shaking my desk, it feels like a small earthquake in here," she commented, lifting her eyebrows pointedly.

"Sorry," I muttered, stilling my leg. I pulled my pocket watch out of my vest pocket, glancing at the time. I frowned; it was eleven o'clock, soon I'd have to make my excuses and leave, if I wanted to be at Tibby's by noon.

"Got some where to be?" The words cut through my thoughts, and I jumped, startled to see that Elise was still staring at me.

"Uh—yeah. Kinda."

The girl raised her eyebrows at my unintentionally cryptic answer, before turning to face the front of the classroom again. I sighed in relief, glad not to be scrutinized by her anymore. I'd known Elise Vandeers since primary school, and at best, we tolerated each other. She had some crazy notion in her head that she was the smartest in the class, and wanted nothing more than to earn to coveted role of valedictorian. We'd been competing for it ever since, and now it was actually in our sights, with only one year of school remaining for both of us.

I shot my hand up suddenly, blushing as I actually startled myself at the move. Mr. Harding blinked in surprise, jerking his head back, like I might have thrown something at him. I could feel the heat in my cheeks, as my fellow classmates snickered.

"Yes, Mr. Jacobs?" He asked dryly, his cracked voice never losing its monotonous drawl.

"May I be excused, sir? I have to be home early today. My—father needs me." I hesitated, mentally kicking myself for not coming up with an appropriate lie before I raised my hand. My nerves had really been getting to me.

Mr. Harding seemed to consider the question for a moment, before responding, "Did you bring a note to that affect, from your father?"

I swallowed, guiltily, "No, sir. I forgot to get one. Can I bring one in tomorrow?"

Mr. Harding frowned slightly at that, "Alright, I suppose. Don't forget, though, Mr. Jacobs."

"Yes, sir," I responded, grabbing my books, and standing so fast that the desk teetered for a moment, threatening to tip over, before it settled back onto all four of its legs. I hurried to the door, stopping momentarily at the coat closet for my rucksack, and shoving my books in haphazardly.

My steps slowed as my feet met with the cobblestones of the street, and I gulped in air, glad to be out of the classroom finally. I definitely wasn't made for the world of lies and espionage. I'd leave the lying to Jack; he seemed to be pretty good at it. I scowled slightly at the thought, suddenly irritated at my friend. I hoped he had a good explanation for all this, or I was never going to forgive him.

I walked quickly; making it to Tibby's a good thirty minutes before I was supposed to be there. I chewed on the inside of my lip, mentally debating whether or not I wanted to wait outside for Jack to show up, or go inside and get a table. I was saved from making the decision though, when I spotted Skittery, Racetrack, and Kid Blink, all heading towards Tibby's.

For a moment I envied their banter, they laughed, taking fake jabs at one another, as if they had no problems. I quickly stifled the feeling though, I knew well the kinds of problems my newsie friends faced. It was Racetrack who spotted me first, dodging a playful punch from Skittery.

"Heya, Dave, you decide to quit school and join the newsies for real, or what?" He asked, a sarcastic look on his face. I don't know how he did it, but Racetrack could actually make his face look sarcastic. It was a rare talent, I'm sure.

I shrugged at him, "No, I'm meeting Jack here for lunch. I'm just a little early."

"Oh, well, why don't you come sit with us while you're waiting," Kid Blink offered. He didn't bother to wait for an answer, following the other boys into Tibby's. I shrugged to myself, entering the restaurant as well.

"So, how's it rollin', Dave?" Racetrack asked, leaning back comfortably in the booth he'd selected. "Between you and Jack, you'd think someone died. Jack didn't get back together with your sistah, did he?"

I glowered at that comment, and he held his hands up defensively, "Hey, I'm just asking. Because, you know, if she's interested, I'm available."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to let her know. She'll be thrilled, I'm sure," I replied, rolling my eyes at him.

"Can't blame a guy for trying," he commented, shrugging innocently at Skittery and Kid Blink. That's one thing to be said about Racetrack, he certainly loved an audience. The more people were listening, the more smart mouthed he became. He grew serious for a moment though, leaning forward, and resting his forearms on the table. "Honestly though," he said, lowering his voice, "Do you know what's been with Jack? He's actin' all glum all a' sudden. And he won't talk to me. I can't figure it out."

I glanced away from his prying eyes, picking at a small splinter on the table, "Dunno, Race. Guess he's just got a lot on his mind. You heard him last month, talking about getting a real job. Maybe he's just thinking about that."

Racetrack lifted his shoulders, "Yeah, maybe. Just doesn't seem like him, though, ya know?"

"Race is right," Skittery chimed in, speaking up for the first time, "It's freakin' me out a little."

"What's the matter, Skitts, you scared of Jack?" Kid Blink asked, elbowing Racetrack in the side for effect, and guffawing loudly at his own attempt at a joke. Racetrack rolled his eyes, digging his own elbow into Blink's side in retaliation. I breathed a sigh of relief, as they continued to roughhouse, dropping the subject of Jack.

I glanced over at Skittery, expecting to see him laughing along with the other two, but was surprised to find him staring wordlessly at the table, his mind clearly on another matter.

A waiter appeared at the edge of the table, and took our food orders. He eyed us warningly, a silent command not to disturb his other customers. I leaned my head back against the booth, closing my eyes momentarily, a sudden wave of exhaustion coming over me.

Jack had better hurry and get to Tibby's; I had better things to do then sit around waiting for him all day. Like sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_Well, here you go! The not so long awaited third chapter. Don't worry, I'll even my writing out again, and update my other fics, I'm just inspired with this one right now. And you gotta go where the inspiration takes you, right? Right. Anways, you know the drill, read, review, enjoy. Seriously. In that order. If I catch you enjoying before you've review... ::shakes head:: Well, just don't let it happen. A huge thank you to stress, Morning Glory Conlon, and Queen Kez the Wicked for their reviews. You rock my very socks._

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Jack finally made his way into the restaurant. Or, rather, he stumbled into the restaurant, tripping over the threshold, just barely managing to catch himself before grabbing onto the back of a chair – the occupant of which was none to happy to be disturbed from his meal. Jack glared back at the man, and there may have been a rude gesture involved, but I couldn't really tell from where I was sitting.

He glanced over at me and, when we made eye contact, he jerked his head in the direction of a small booth in the back corner. I looked back over at my friends in the booth, nodding at them, as I slid out of the booth, "I'll see you guys later, send my food over will you?"

"Yeah, sure," Racetrack agreed, nodding over at me.

I joined Jack in the booth, taking in his appearance. He still looked exhausted but there was an excitement in his eyes as well. I desperately wanted to know what he'd gotten himself into, but first things first…

I pulled a piece of paper and a pen out of my bag, sliding the two objects across the table to him.

"What's this?" He asked, shooting me a look of confusion.

"This is the note from my father, excusing me from school today, that you're going to write," I replied.

"Why can't you write it?"

"Well, for one, because Mr. Harding will recognize my handwriting. For another, it's your fault I'm not at school, so it's only fair."

Jack made a face, but picked up the pen anyways. "Alright, what should it say?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I've never had to excuse my son from school before."

Jack rolled his eyes at me. "You want this done right?"

He had a point. I told him what to write, occasionally spelling a word for him, and after a few minutes I had a passable excuse note. "Here, I'll sign it. I think I can get pretty close to his signature."

He slid the paper back to me, and I took it, signing it before folding it carefully and placing it between the pages of one of my books for safe keeping. The waiter came and placed my food in front of me, taking Jack's order as he did so.

Jack waited till the waiter had disappeared again, and then reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of newspaper. It was ragged on the edges, as if he'd ripped it out. He unfolded it carefully, turning it so the article was facing me. "Take a look at this, Dave," he said in a low voice, jabbing his finger at the headline.

I squinted in the dim light, leaning forward to better see the article. "'Millionaire robbed at knifepoint, suspect on the loose.' Yeah, so what? I saw it this morning," I replied before pausing. "Wait, I thought you didn't sell today."

"I didn't. Look, focus Dave, focus! Look at what was stolen." He pointed an ink stained finger at the bottom of the article.

There was a small picture of a gemstone and a caption; again I began to read aloud. "Unset gemstone is said to be worth thousands of dollars." I whistled at that. "Must be some huge gem. But what's the deal? What does this have to do with anything?"

Jack's hands were shaking as he pulled the envelope out of his pocket. He glanced around, as if to make sure nobody was watching, then turned the envelope upside down, catching it's contents in his hand.

Let me tell you, I'm not the kind of person that curses. If my mother caught me cursing, I think she'd actually make me wash my mouth out with soap. I never had to worry about it, though, because I'm a pretty clean mouthed person, even after hanging around with Jack and the boys.

But, as soon as I saw the object in Jack's hands, I cursed. Loudly. Which elicited several disapproving stares from the lunchtime crowds. I ignored them, and Jack closed his fist over the gem. He glared at me, kicking me under the table. "Keep it down, will you?"

I dug my hand into my hair, pretty sure I was in shock. I repeated the word, softer this time, but seemingly unable to pull up any of the rest of my vocabulary.

"Yeah, you said that already, got anything else?" Jack asked, rolling his eyes.

I stared at him for a moment; I couldn't believe he was acting so nonchalant about this. "Jeez, Jack! What do you think you're doing?! You're the suspect?!" My voice was rising again and Jack shot me a warning look across the table.

"Dave," Jack shot me a warning look.

I lowered my voice to a loud whisper, "You robbed that guy?!"

"No, of course I didn't!" Jack actually looked offended at the accusation. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

I must have stared at him for a complete minute, before I could force any sensible words out of my mouth "The right place, at the right time?" I asked, my voice cracking. That seemed to me to be right up there with 'just improving the truth a little'.

"Listen," Jack said, leaning forward, still speaking in that low voice, "I saw it happen, the mugging, I mean. The old man was just walking down the street, and out of nowhere these two guys jump out. They grab him, one on each arm, right? And they drag him into the alley. They fought for a minute, but the guy was older, and he wasn't much of a fighter. Some uppity up from the Upper East Side, ya know? Anyways, I think he passed out or somethin' because suddenly he was out cold, layin' in the middle of the alley. The guys start pickin' his pockets, and one of them finds this." He lifted his closed fist off the table and then seemed to think better of keeping it out. He dropped it back into the envelope and placed that back into this shirt pocket.

"So, anyways," He continued, when I didn't say anything, "they start arguin', these two. I couldn't hear what it was about, but I can only assume they were yackin' about the gem. And suddenly one of 'em rips out a knife, and stabs the other one. Stabs em!" Jack was talking fast now, and I was barely keeping up with his story.

"Wait, you saw all this late last night?"

"Yeah. Well, not that late, but it was dark out. Maybe it was around six or seven. But anyways, the first guy, the one that did the stabbing, he was the one that had taken the gem off the old guy. But, man, Davey, this guy must've been a real idiot, because as he's leaving the alley, he _drops_ it. Drops it! Can you believe it! I waited till he was gone, and then I picked it up. But here's the thing. I think he might have seen me. I ain't sure, but I was freaked. So, I got that envelope, and put the gem in there, and I hid it."

I sat back in my seat, actually feeling a little bit nauseous. "You sent me. To pick up that envelope. Because you thought if you went you might get recognized."

"Don't look like that, Davey, nobody woulda been looking for your ugly mug, just mine. I couldn't go back. Besides, the guy obviously didn't know he'd dropped it, not at first anyways. And I ain't too sure if he saw me or not. I couldn't really tell. It was dark, and you shoulda seen his face, Dave. The guy was in shock. Even if he did see me, I'm not sure if it registered, ya know?"

I felt light-headed; I couldn't believe we were having this discussion. I couldn't believe he'd gotten me to get that envelope for him. I was involved in a robbery!

"Hey, you okay, Dave?" Jack asked, reaching across the table, and giving my shoulder a shake. "You don't look too good."

"Jack! Do you realize how serious this is?!" I asked, not sure that everything had fully sunk in for Jack. "You're not planning on keeping it, are you? I mean, you can't, you've gotta turn it into the police."

"The bulls?! No way!" Jack looked at me as if I'd just sprouted a second head. "That guy, whoever he was, doesn't need it. If he did, he wouldn't have been carrying it around in his pocket at night. Besides, you shoulda seen the guy. His suit was worth more than your life."

"What, so you're going to keep it?" I asked, my eyes widening incredulously.

"No…" Jack said slowly, looking thoughtful, "what use do I have for a chunk of rock? I'm gonna sell it."

"Gonna sell what?"

Both of us jumped at the voice, and I could see Jack's face pale sickeningly, making the dark circles under his eyes stick out even more. I watched him, waiting to see how he was going to handle this one.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello! Well, here it is, hot of the presses for you guys, my next chapter! A sincere thanks to my reviewers, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. And a stern look for all you people who are reading and not reviewing. ::looks stern:: I mean, I'm not trying to be obnoxious here, but I put a lot of time and effort into writing this. And it takes less than a minute to type up a review. I'm not going to beg for them, and this will be the last time I mention it, but I'm just saying, it's only fair. I mean, after all, you're reading it, and if you're still reading it by chapter four, you must not hate it, right? Even if you do hate it, let me know. That's the whole point of the review! Alright, I'm done now, I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

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"Nothin', Stress," Jack replied, smiling up at his girl smoothly. I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. 

"Well, where ya been all day? I didn't see you at the distribution office this morning," Stress asked, sitting in the space Jack provided her, as he slid deeper into the booth.

"Yeah, Jack, where ya been all day?" I repeated her question pointedly, raising my eyebrows at him. Jack shot me an irritated look but somehow managed to seamlessly transfer the look to a charming smile as he glanced at Stress.

"I—uh… I didn't sell this morning," Jack said. My jaw dropped in surprise; I couldn't believe he was going to tell her the truth. I mean, this was Jack Kelly, fibber extraordinaire. And he was about to tell his girlfriend that he "conveniently" stumbled upon a gemstone that was said to be worth several thousand dollars? Well, I certainly didn't want to be sitting there when the dynamite exploded, so I stood, nodding at Stress respectfully.

"Look, Jack, I think we still need to talk. Don't do anything stupid, okay?" Jack immediately assumed a look of complete innocence, opening his mouth to offer some smart reply, but I held my hand up to stop him, "I mean it," I added, with an edge to my voice. I guess he saw that I was serious because he just shrugged.

I left the table, but, instead of heading back out onto the streets, I was called to join another small group of newsboys who were all seated at a row of small tables in the middle of the restaurant. I briefly considered making my excuses and heading home, but decided against it. For one, if I showed up at home now, my mother would immediately start interrogating me as to why I was home so early. And I also figured it would be better to stay at Tibby's where I could keep an eye on Jack. Hopefully I could get him alone again before he left, and I could really talk some sense into him. If that was possible, anyways.

I took a seat at the only empty chair, the one closest to the booth Jack and Stress were now occupying. I smiled at the other boys. It was a good group: Dutchy, his girlfriend – whose name I couldn't remember, Bumlets, who was sitting close to a girl called Holiday, Specs, Pie Eater, and Mush. They all greeted me cheerfully; it seemed it had been a good day for selling.

"Did you see that beauty of a headline this morning, Dave? 'Millionaire robbed'," Mush grinned at me, "It was gorgeous, wasn't it boys?"

"That's great, Mush, some guy gets mugged, and you sit here gloating about it," commented Dutchy's girl.

Mush raised his hands defensively, "Hey, come on, Glory," Morning Glory, _that _was her name, "it's not like the guy died. He's fine, it said so right in the article, and it sold at least twice as many copies as normal."

"It is a little cruel, though, Mush," Holiday pointed out, taking a sip of her water.

Mush shrugged, "Girls." He muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

"You did _what_?!"

I jumped at the sudden outburst, and every head at our table turned to stare at Jack and Stress – because it had been Stress who had yelled. Jack was obviously trying to calm her down, talking low and fast, but Stress was just shaking her head incredulously. I knew the feeling.

The rest of the table drifted back into their own conversations, uninterested at what was going on at Jack and Stress's table. I, however, was very interested, and I leaned my chair back onto two legs, trying to hear what was being said.

"Jack, are you serious? What if that guy saw you?! He's a murderer, Jack!" Stress hissed, clearly a tad upset. Not that I could blame her. Smart girl, that Stress.

"We don't know that he murdered anybody—just that he _stabbed _someone," Jack replied. As if that made everything okay.

Stress responded, but her voice was low, so I couldn't hear exactly what she was saying. I leaned the chair back just a little farther, trying to make out her words. And that was my mistake. Because, the next thing I knew, I was on my back, practically folded in half. Let me tell you, it was not a comfortable position. That added to the fact that everybody in Tibby's was laughing rather loudly at me, well, it was rather disconcerting.

Stress's face appeared above mine, and she looked down at me with humor in her green eyes, "Hey, Davey, if you wanna eavesdrop, you can always just come sit at the table with us."

I blinked up at her, still trying to decide what had just happened. I knew I was blushing, my face felt like it was on fire. I stumbled to my feet, clearing my throat as I righted the chair, and placed it back at the table. "Thanks, but I'd better be going." So much for talking to Jack again, "You sellin' tomorrow, Jack?"

"Yeah, I think so, why?"

"Just, meet me at the Distribution Center tomorrow morning. And don't do anything, crazy, okay?" I asked.

"Define 'crazy'," Jack said, wrapping his arm around Stress's shoulder, now that she was seated in the booth again.

I opened my mouth to reply and then stopped myself, thinking about it. "Just… don't do anything," I finally said, after hesitating a moment more.

Jack laughed at that, in his "I don't have a care in the world" sort of way. I just shook my head, making my way back onto the street.

I had to pass the school on my way back to my family's tenement house. I sighed as I saw Elise coming out of the front doors. She spotted me right away and made a beeline right for me. _Great, just what I need to add to my day. _

"David!" She called, waving at me as she came down the steps, as if she thought I couldn't see her. Alright, fine, I was avoiding eye contact, but I couldn't avoid that call. Unless I pretended to be deaf.

I was considering the pros and cons of doing just that, pretending to be deaf I mean, when she sidled up to me. _Hmm. I wonder if she'd believe I was deaf and blind. _She placed her hand on my arm, stopping my walk. _And that I'd developed a rare disorder, and could no longer feel. Yeah. Doubtful. _

"Afternoon, Elise," I said finally, looking down at her.

"So, tell me, what did you really skip out of class early for?" She asked, getting straight to the point.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," I replied, stuttering a little. _Yeah, that was real convincing._

"Uh huh. Right. C'mon, David, you came up with the most unconvincing lie ever, and then you walk by the school, towards your apartment, which is where you were supposedly going two hours ago. Of course, that's really believable," she replied, placing her hands on her hips.

I sighed, irritated. Maybe it was just because of Jack, and his ridiculous plan, but I was definitely more annoyed with her than usual. "Look, it's none of your business, is it? Why do you always have to poke your nose in where it doesn't belong? It's a pain!" I snapped at her.

She looked taken aback, like I'd slapped her across the face. "Well," she said, losing her defiant stance, and hugging herself around her middle. "Well," she repeated it, as if she was at a loss for words. Which, I'll tell you, would be a first for Elise Vandeers.

I sighed, running my hand through my hair, "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. It's just—I'm lacking in the sleep department a little bit right now. I guess it just set me on edge, that's all."

Elise raised her eyes so they met mine, "Right." She said in this tight little voice, "that's fine. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

She turned her back to me, and started walking off down the street. I groaned, watching her back for a moment, before I jogged to catch up with her, "Elise, wait, let me walk you home."

She wouldn't look at me, but instead was staring down at her shoes, "No, you don't have to. Wouldn't want to cause you any more pain."

"I said I was sorry. I didn't mean it, okay?" I really did feel bad, I had never talked like that to a girl before and, silently, I was blaming Jack for the little slip up. "Can you just forget I said it? Please?"

She glanced up at me again, and seemed to be considering the request. I was resigned to the fact that she was about to tell me off, in true Elise fashion, but she surprised me.

She sighed, "Sure. I know you didn't mean it. And I know I'm a pain sometimes, too. I don't mean to be, it's just the way I am."

We walked in semi-awkward silence the rest of the way to her home, and when we reached her front stoop, I paused. I was ready to leave her, and get back to my own apartment, but she stopped me, placing her hand lightly on my arm.

"Would you like to come in for a moment? I could get you a drink if you'd like, before you have to walk back."

"Uh, sure, I guess. That would be nice. Thanks," I helped her up the stairs, and waited as she opened the door. Her house was huge—and it actually was a house, not just a tenement—I'd never known before just how wealthy her family was, but they were definitely wealthy.

And then I saw them. The cops, I mean. There were two of them, a maid was just ushering them from the foyer into what I could only assume was a parlor of some kind. I glanced down at Elise, wondering if she knew what all this was about. The look on her face told me she had no idea.

She followed them into the room though, at a pace that I have to admit, was impressive for a girl dressed in a heavy floor length skirt.

I sighed, before following after her at a slower pace, no way was I going to remain in the foyer by myself. _Never a dull moment in the life of David Jacobs, _I thought to myself, a little bitterly, _Nope, never a dull moment for me._


End file.
